There will be more to the Cinderella tale.
Evansville, which was in danger of losing in the Greenville Regional, came back to defeat East Carolina, the 16th-seeded team overall, 6-5, in Monday’s winner-take-all championship.
With their first-ever NCAA regional championship, Evansville will move on to this weekend’s super regional round. After finishing fourth in a regional, they became the ninth team in history to advance to the super regional.
The first inning saw Kip Fougerousse smash his fourth home run of the regional and his season’s 21st home run, tying the record, as the Aces (38–24) once again capitalized on the long ball. Subsequently, in the sixth inning, following ECU’s 5-1 lead, Mark Shallenberger launched a three-run home run to take the lead.
Evansville maintained its lead as the seasoned team kept elevating the program to new heights.
Purple Aces coach Wes Carroll stated following the game on the ESPN broadcast, “This means a significant amount to the University of Evansville, to our athletic department, and to our city.” Right now, I couldn’t be happier to be an Ace. Today, we went out and earned that item. When it came to delivering large barrels, we did so.
The top-ranked Tennessee Volunteers (53-11) will play the Missouri Valley Conference winners this weekend in their next matchup. The Volunteers won the Knoxville Regional. To earn a trip to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, they will play a best-of-three series in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Which teams have earned tickets to the next round of the NCAA Baseball Super Regionals?
Division I champion Evansville has made four trips to the NCAA Tournament (1988, 2000, 2006), while East Carolina is vying for its fourth straight regional title. It made no difference what the past was. The Aces’ 19-6 loss to the Pirates on Sunday night didn’t help either.
At one of the best venues for college baseball, Clark-LeClair Stadium, ECU’s home field, went 29–6. Evansville suffered two of those defeats in the regional.
With a home run by Fougerousse and an RBI single from Cal McGinnis, the Aces took a 2-0 lead in their third game against ECU in as many days. When Fougerousse singled in the sixth inning, the Pirates scored five more runs before Shallenberger came up big in the following inning.
In high-leverage situations, right-hand pitchers Nick Smith, Max Hansmann, and Shane Harris held the Pirates at bay. After throwing 81 pitches on Sunday, Harris closed the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.
Carroll described Harris as “going to leave it all out there for us on this, his last ride.” “He delivered three outs for us, which was exactly what I needed. What a courageous show.
This team, which has won eight of nine postseason games, has repeatedly shown that it is a team that never gives up. It’s already surpassed the team’s single-season records in runs scored, home runs, and doubles. Additionally, its 38 victories rank sixth in program history.
They can now continue to increase those stats in their matchup with the top collegiate baseball team.
Carroll remarked, “I couldn’t be more proud to come in here and earn this in one of the most hostile environments in the country.”
